April 2, 2003
Syracuse, N.Y. -
The eighth-ranked Syracuse Orangewomen jumped out to a 6-1 first-half lead and held off a late Notre Dame rally for a 9-6 BIG EAST win at the Carrier Dome on Wednesday night.
Leigh-Ann Zimmer and Monica Joines combined for seven of Syracuse's nine goals to improve the Orangewomen's record to 7-2 overall and 4-1 in BIG EAST play. Notre Dame got three goals each from Danielle Shearer (Sr., Hampstead, Md.) and Meredith Simon (Jr., Flemington, N.J.) as the Irish saw their record fall to 3-4 on the season and 2-1 in league play.
Zimmer and Joines scored two goals each and Kim Wayne added a fifth goal as the Orangewomen jumped out to a 5-0 lead with 8:03 left in the first half.
Shearer broke Carla Gigon's shutout with a free-position goal with 2:17 left in the first half. Syracuse would up the lead to 6-1 when Jessica Hall scored with just three seconds left in the first half for a 6-1 score at the first intermission.
The Irish came out strong in the second half, cutting the lead to 6-3 just 2:16 into the half as Shearer converted two more free-position chances.
Zimmer answered with two more goals less than three minutes apart (24:55 and 22:06) and Joines got her third of the game with 15:33 left to give the Orange a 9-6 edge.
Notre Dame cranked up the offense over the final 13 minutes of the game, scoring three times and hitting the post three times in the final five minutes. Simon got her first goal of the game with 12:20 left and added her second with 11:14 remaining. She completed her hat trick with 6:24 left to cut the lead to 9-6 and that was as close as the Irish would get.
The Irish peppered Gigon with 22 shots in the second half, but scored just five times. The Syracuse goalkeeper finished with 11 saves on the night. Jen White (Sr., Annapolis, Md.) finished with 12 saves for Notre Dame.
With her three goals on the night, Shearer extended her current scoring streak to 28 games, a streak that began on April 25, 2001 during he sophomore year.
The Irish will look to get back on the winning track on Saturday, April 5 when they play host to BIG EAST rival, Connecticut. That game will begin at 12:00 noon and will be played indoors at the Loftus Center.
Game Summary
First-Half Scoring
Team Time Score Goal Assist
SU 28:36 0-1 Leigh-Ann Zimmer Kim Wayne
SU 13:08 0-2 Monica Joines
SU 11:36 0-3 Leigh-Ann Zimmer (2)
SU 9:27 0-4 Kim Wayne
SU 8:03 0-5 * Monica Joines (2)
ND 2:17 1-5 * Danielle Shearer
SU 0:03 1-6 Jessica Hall Kim Wayne
Second-Half Scoring
Team Time Score Goal Assist
ND 28:23 2-6 * Danielle Shearer (2)
ND 27:44 3-6 * Danielle Shearer (3)
SU 24:55 3-7 Leigh-Ann Zimmer (3)
SU 22:06 3-8 Leigh-Ann Zimmer (4)
SU 15:33 3-9 Monica Joines (3)
ND 12:20 4-9 Meredith Simon
ND 11:14 5-9 Meredith Simon (2)
ND 6:24 6-9 Meredith Simon (3)
* indicates free position goal
Scoring: 1st 2nd Final
Notre Dame (3-4, 2-1) 1 5 6
Syracuse (7-2, 4-1) 6 3 9
Goalkeepers
ND: Jen White (60:00 minutes, 9 goals against; 12 saves)
Syracuse: Carla Gigon (60:00, 6 goals against, 11 saves)
Shots on Goal
ND 28
SU 26
Free Position Shots
ND 3 of 9
SU 1 of 4
Ground Balls
ND 15
SU 17
Draw Controls
ND 8
SU 9
